ANIMU DISCUSSION what's your favorite anime from your childhood?

[nikoru]

who else was a hardcore otaku growing up?

whether you were team shonen, shojo, or anything in between, i feel like we all had those anime characters that just stole our pre-teen/teen hearts. like, the crushes were so real back then!

i'll go first! my biggest anime loves were ranma saotome from ranma 1/2 (him switching from a boy to a girl made me realize that i am bisexual) and the highschool detective shinichi kudo from detective conan. i mean, how could you not adore his soccer skills and brains? and let's not forget the iconic edward elric giving us fashion goals in fullmetal alchemist! (now that im all grown-up, i cant help but think how silly his fashion taste is XD)

all these three were my favorite childhood anime growing up. but those were just my anime crushes, i want to hear all about the series that truly stole your heart. was it a classic shonen like naruto, bleach, or one piece that you religiously followed? or did you live for shojo magical girl shows like sailor moon or cardcaptor sakura? maybe sci-fi fans who liked trigun or cowboy bebop? how about some love for mecha anime like voltes v and gundam?

 

[densagara]

My first love will always be Rurouni Kenshin, even if that isn't technically the first anime I watched and enjoyed. I just found Rurouni Kenshin so interesting, and I even copied his signature "oro-oro" reaction which annoyed my classmates. And I fell in love with Sanosuke Sagara because he's cool and funny and cocky and wild, which is always what I love in my anime men XD

In fact my username - a username I've used since I was in grade school, is just my nickname Den, and Sagara, which is from him. This anime was also the first fandom that I found an online community in and did my very first RP on. This anime just encompasses my entire childhood and it will always hold a special place in my heart above all others.

 

[Cipher Nine]

I grew up with Sailor Moon, Tokyo Mew Mew, and Inuyasha. My tween crush was Sesshomaru, and I'm pretty sure he was my gateway drug to white-haired male protags lol.

I don't watch as much anime as I used to, but I gravitate towards action/thriller/horror.

My favourite series is Katanagatari. I think it's an acquired taste but it's so good. Albeit, I only discovered this one several years ago.

Flashing GIF

 

[Smiley]

Personally, I liked Yo-Kai Watch and the original Pokemon anime. I got back into it when I was like fifteen, and that's when I started being an anime nerd.

 

[Lyrikai]

Oh jeez well I DEFINITELY watched a lot more anime then than I do now! I used to watch every possible show that I could find, and hoooooarded manga!

To name the first several that come to mind, let's seeeee

Yu Yu Hakusho, Inuyasha, Ruroni Kenshin, Yu-Gi-Oh, Samurai Champloo, Death Note, DNAngel, Fullmetal Alchemist, Fruits Basket...

I could go on for so long

 

[Manna Beast]

I used to watch Sailor Moon a lot as it was like the "first" anime when I was a kid on tv. Wasn't my favourite but I still enjoyed it. Like the one that Usagi was actually Serena cause "americanizing." But if I was guna be blunt and say what my first few real ones were, easily DBZ, Yu-gi-oh, Digimon and of course Inuyasha.

And I still rewatch Inuyasha every couple of years. I was such a stan for Inuyasha and Koga. Then when I was with my husband, we sat down and watched Chobits, Love Hina and Please Teacher!

 

[Wordsmith]

Okay, so everyone my age is going to go with DragonBallZ or the Ronin Warriors. They were great, Samurai Power Rangers and Space Alien Maigc Martial Artists! Winning!

However, I have to give it to Ranma 1/2. A boy and his father, along with half the people in the world who can to kill him travel to a cursed training ground and now when they get wet turn into a panda, pig, swan, cat, and Ranma himself turns into a girl. It's pretty epic!

Honorable meant goes.to Fushigiyugi, The Mysterious Play, where teo girls get sucked out of modern Japan into Ancient China and end up becoming Priestesses of Venegful gods and leaders of superpower heroes who hate each other.
Its.two very different stories in the same world... It makes my heart sing.

 

[Diana]

Sailor Moon was my introduction to anime! I prolly saw some before that, but Sailor Moon was the first time I learned what anime was.

And if it wasn't for me falling in love with Sailor Moon, I would not be here now. O_O Iwaku would not be here now. It kicked off me learning about chat rooms, roleplay, and making my own sites. All because I wanted to know if there were "sailor scouts" for the other planets outside of the core 5 and started searching on the internet!

 

[allthekingsmen]

My first manga was Attack on Titan (probably not a great choice for an eleven-year-old), but my first anime was Black Butler (also not a great choice for an eleven-year-old, but slightly more appropriate). The series that actually stuck with and intensely influenced me, though, was Daisuke Ashihara's World Trigger. While it was a childhood manga rather than a childhood anime, it still influences my art now and gives me a love for giant lovable ensemble casts.

If we're talking strictly anime, though, then Fullmetal Alchemist (the 2003 one) got me trying to slap my hands onto the floor/wall/table/etc. trying to transmutate it, lol. I crushed on both Hawkeye and Mustang!

 

[Astoria]

I went right from Pokemon to Evangelion in middle school. (Not the most appropriate choice for an eleven-year old either.)

Most of my favorite shows came out in high school, though-- but then again my watching habits fell off a cliff after high school, haha. Spice and Wolf and Steins;Gate are still the best.

 

[Mojo]

However, I have to give it to Ranma 1/2. A boy and his father, along with half the people in the world who can to kill him travel to a cursed training ground and now when they get wet turn into a panda, pig, swan, cat, and Ranma himself turns into a girl. It's pretty epic!

Honorable meant goes.to Fushigiyugi, The Mysterious Play, where teo girls get sucked out of modern Japan into Ancient China and end up becoming Priestesses of Venegful gods and leaders of superpower heroes who hate each other.
Its.two very different stories in the same world... It makes my heart sing.

I came to this thread, about to say Ranma 1/2 and also Fushigi Yûgi. I'm so happy to see that someone else has also watched these gems ;o; !

Fushigi Yûgi was the very first manga that I read and the first anime I watched (unless you count Pokemon and Sailor moon which aired at 6 am in the mornings). It's one that I hold very dear in my heart as I absolutely love the story and have tried a couple of times to make RP out of that idea.

Oh, can't forget how obsessed I was with Vampire Knight and even got the nickname Shiki lol.

 

[Wordsmith]

However, I have to give it to Ranma 1/2. A boy and his father, along with half the people in the world who can to kill him travel to a cursed training ground and now when they get wet turn into a panda, pig, swan, cat, and Ranma himself turns into a girl. It's pretty epic!

Honorable meant goes.to Fushigiyugi, The Mysterious Play, where teo girls get sucked out of modern Japan into Ancient China and end up becoming Priestesses of Venegful gods and leaders of superpower heroes who hate each other.
Its.two very different stories in the same world... It makes my heart sing.

I came to this thread, about to say Ranma 1/2 and also Fushigi Yuugi. I'm so happy to see that someone else has also watched these gems ;o; !

Fushigi Yûgi was the very first manga that I read and the first anime I watched (unless you count Pokemon and Sailor moon which aired at 6 am in the mornings). It's one that I hold very dear in my heart as I absolutely love the story and have tried a couple of times to make RP out of that idea.

Oh, can't forget how obsessed I was with Vampire Knight and even got the nickname Shiki lol.

MOJO, I am picking what you are putting down! You just skyrocketed to my top 3 favorite people on this site! Oh and your Swedish! I am so looking forward to visiting Gothenburg in 2026!!! It's my most sought after Eurpoean Vacation of the next 10 years, I am a total vik8ng fantatic!

 

[Sludgewave]

My first love will always be Rurouni Kenshin, even if that isn't technically the first anime I watched and enjoyed. I just found Rurouni Kenshin so interesting, and I even copied his signature "oro-oro" reaction which annoyed my classmates. And I fell in love with Sanosuke Sagara because he's cool and funny and cocky and wild, which is always what I love in my anime men XD

In fact my username - a username I've used since I was in grade school, is just my nickname Den, and Sagara, which is from him. This anime was also the first fandom that I found an online community in and did my very first RP on. This anime just encompasses my entire childhood and it will always hold a special place in my heart above all others.

Yoooooo Rurouni Kenshin was my absolute favorite as well. I liked the historical fiction aspect of it, and it's what got me really into Japanese history and culture beyond just their media exports. I was definitely a Saito fannby. And Megumi. I probably tried to do some "oros" as well.

It was definitely my favorite at the time. Read-or-Die is another one of my favorites back then, which I saw once randomly on Cartoon Network and really stuck with me, and remains one of my all-time favorite anime to this day. (And Yomiko is the first character I ever cosplayed and it's still a go-to for me.)

 

[Winter_Bloom]

Pokemon, Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z collectively account for my first exposure to anime. I enjoyed Rurouni Kenshin as well. Gundam Wing was also one of my favorites as a kid. Zoids (both New Century and Chaotic Century) were up there.

But the one that really stood out to me was Outlaw Star. The blend of spacefaring SciFi with the soft magic/mystical elements held my intruige and I'd say I definitely draw a healthy dose of inspiration from that show in my writing and character creation to this day. And the soundtrack was cool to boot.

 

[RaccoonGoon]

Pokemon was my go-to anime before I knew anime was even a thing. The first couple of seasons in particular always smack me hard with nostalgia - I'd walk home from first grade and get on the couch just in time for that afternoon's episode. I was into the cards and anime long before I had the chance to try the games, so the anime is the very definition of 'Pokemon' for me.

I knew DBZ was a thing, but that was too violent for me. Yu-Gi-Oh was pretty cool, though I watched it mostly just because it was on WB's Saturday morning block and I liked Yugi and his edgy counterpart. It wasn't until middle school that I dabbled with 'stronger' anime, entirely because of Toonami's Saturday night lineup. Zatch Bell, OG Naruto, One Piece (the 4kids dub), Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, and other short-lived stuff. Zatch Bell in particular was my favorite (Brago my beloved).

I was also a huge fan of Wolf's Rain. That's the one series that I have the full manga for (a whole 2 volumes).

For a show that I thought was an anime, or at least more Japanese than it is, I'll put down Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go. It lives rent free in my head.

 

[Reliance]

A lot of the same mentioned here. Trigun and Cowboy Bebop. Rurouni Kenshin. Inuyasha. Sailor Moon. Pokemon, Digimon and Yugioh. DBZ and Ronin Warriors

Not yet mentioned. FLCL, s-cry-ed, Cyborg 009, Android Kikaider

 

[ThatDamnedSuccubus]

How do I even answer this one? Anime was like half of my personality when I was a kid. I lived and breathed it. It really got my creative juices going and I could definitely attribute it to having kick-started my love of writing and making art and stuff. I was one of those weirdos who pretended to be able to, like-. Channel? Is the word, I think? Yeah. To be able to 'channel' the characters and talk for them. I thought it made me cool or some shit, LOL. I still had friends, so, I guess it was working! I recently found out I very well may be a fictophile, so this all checks out, I suppose! x'D

I would literally just be listing name after name from all of the stuff that aired on things like Toonami, yaknow? I loved how unique it all was, compared to the regular cartoons we were watching, back then. So stylized and dramatic and beautiful.

If we're talking stuff I still watch, to this day, well-. Naruto, definitely. I really want to re-watch Sailor Moon, at some point. Pokemon, always. Yu Yu Hakusho is a fucking classic and Jin is my BOY. Gundam Wing! Omg! Duo! Deathscythe Hell! I had a shirt of Deathscythe and when I started being uncomfortable in t-shirts, I cut the illustration on the back off of it, because I still wanted to keep it! I still have it. I should sew it on something, finally.

Stuff I got into, later on included Ouran High School, because of course. sigh The Ghibli movies, if they count? I have so many. Princess Mononoke will forever be my favorite, though, as I saw a lot of myself in San, when I first watched it. I dunno what that says about me, pff. I was a wolf girl, too. Weird, huh?

Stuff I'm into, now? I had a long period in my life where I kind of cut anime out of it, for some reason, but I've recently started picking new stuff up! I watched the WHOLE of My Hero Academia, recently, and holy shit, is it good! And, Uta no Prince-sama has my whole, goddamned, heart. Bright, pretty boy, sparklegarbage. I also love shit like Death Parade and Princess Jellyfish and oh, man, I could go on. I have rediscovered my love, definitely.~ :'3

This was a lot. But, it made me feel a lot, so-.